High school notebook: Berwick girls hope for strong second half

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — The Berwick Academy girls basketball team is off to one of its best starts in years, and long-time coach Brian Sanborn believes the seeds were sown last year.

“We had a big team with 14 players,” Sanborn said. “It was the most I’ve ever had. We graduated four seniors, they had all played four years. The veteran presence did a great job leading a young team.”

After losing Eastern Independent League MVP Juliana Blais to graduation, nine players returned to the Bulldogs’ lineup this season and so far the team is off to a 6-2 start. Even though the roster is smaller this season (11 players), Sanborn thinks this year’s team has the experience and depth to qualify for the prestigious eight-team NEPSAC tournament in the spring.

“They all got to play quite a bit last year,” Sanborn said. “Because we had a big team and we’re athletic, we got into a pressing-and-running game this year. We use our numbers to wear people down. I think we have some serious limitations and things we’re good at, and so far we’ve been able to hide our deficiencies and let what we’re good at be enough to win.”

Junior Rebecca Siegel, junior Torie St. Pierre and sophomore Maggie DuChene are among the team’s top scorers.

At 5-foot-11, St. Pierre is a threat from inside and outside, and Sanborn said St. Pierre is as good a defender as she is at scoring.

“She’s a tough player to deal with defensively,” Sanborn said. “She pressures the ball. Ballhandlers aren’t used to someone that size. She creates a lot of havoc on defense and forces a lot of lob passes to get over her. We’ve had a lot of success with her pressuring the ball.

“She’s one of our best offensive weapons too,” Sanborn continued. “She has 3-point shooting range, probably our biggest threat there. She’s extremely quick off the dribble and she’s tremendously unselfish, always setting up people to score. That kind of thing is contagious.”

Siegel, a guard, is a junior who plays like a senior. She joined the varsity squad as an eighth grader.

“She’s another whose strength is pressing and running the court,” Sanborn said. “She takes the ball to the basket really well. She’s a streaky shooter — she’ll score 18 points one game, three the next, but she’s a terrific player. She plays with the confidence of a senior.”

Berwick is in the midst of a lengthy holiday break. The Bulldogs last played on Dec. 19, a 58-33 win at Bancroft in Worcester, Mass. They resume practices today and will play again Wednesday at Southfield School in Brookline, Mass.

St. Pierre’s sister, Dominique, also a junior, is also having a strong season, as is sophomore guard Brooke Downey and sixth man Caitlyn Winders, a senior guard. All are consistent shooters and do well sharing the ball.

The Bulldogs spend a lot of time on the road. With the exception of games at Brewster Academy, the average road trip involves a two-hour bus ride each way. Sanborn thinks the long trips, which often occur on school nights, bring his players closer together.

“We spend a lot of time together,” Sanborn said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, and I’ve come to realize that winning is awesome and I love it, but we pay more attention to the team aspect this year than we ever have. We’ve been a good team lately in terms of having each other’s back, picking each other up when we have a bad day. It’s a pleasure to be around this group.”

HOLIDAY CHAMPS: It was a successful holiday tournament season for the St. Thomas Aquinas High School boys hockey team, which won the Exeter tournament. Glen Wiswell scored four goals, including the game winner in overtime, as the Saints were a 6-5 winner over host Exeter.

The Oyster River hockey team beat Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., 5-0, for the championship of the first Heuchling & Swift Memorial Classic at the Whittemore Center Arena.

The Newmarket boys basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Raymond 68-67 in the final game of the Mules’ holiday tournament. Josh Eisfeller scored 27 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Mules.

The Somersworth/Coe-Brown hockey team earned a 4-3 win over Noble/Wells (Maine) in the championship game of the Brian Doucette Memorial Tournament at the Rochester Arena. It was the Bearcats’ third straight Doucette title.

BIG GAMES: A number of big games grace the schedule in the upcoming days. Tonight, the Dover High School boys basketball team hosts Division I powerhouse Manchester Memorial, which is fresh off a win in its own Queen City Invitational Tournament over the holiday break. Girls basketball rivals St. Thomas and Oyster River will meet Friday night in Durham in a key Division II battle. In boys hockey, Spaulding hosts Bow Saturday night at 8 p.m. in a meeting of D-II heavyweights. On Tuesday, the Spaulding boys basketball team hosts Pinkerton. Also on Tuesday, the Newmarket boys basketball team visits Pittsfield. Both teams are 5-0 and Pittsfield just won the Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash in Farmington, beating the host Tigers in the final.

STANDINGS WATCH: The Dover High School boys hockey team has yet to allow more than two goals in a D-II game so far this season. Five different players scored for Dover in a 5-0 win over Somersworth/Coe-Brown on Saturday. The Green Wave and Spaulding are both 4-0-1 in the league heading into the weekend and are tied for second place behind Merrimack (4-0) ... The St. Thomas boys hockey team is 3-1-1 and currently tied with Salem for fourth place in D-I ... The Oyster River girls hockey team is 4-1 and head into the weekend in fourth place ... The Spaulding boys are one of six teams at 3-0 in D-I basketball ... The Portsmouth girls are 4-1, tied with Hollis/Brookline for third place in D-II basketball.